Guillermo Rigondeaux, Carl Frampton & Leo Santa Cruz – Boxing News

By Donald “Braveheart” Stewart

OK so it was a couple of weeks ago but I had to take the good lady away and lost a fortnight of boxing – so bear with me. Now in the UK we all like the whole Rocky thing and the story of boxing legend, Guillermo Rigondeaux, 17-0, 11 KO’s, taking on James “Jazza” Dickens 22-2, 7 KO’s, in the capital of Wales – Cardiff was such a fantastic story for copy.

Dickens went into the fight as such a massive underdog there were few who thought it would not last longer than the hot dogs. It didn’t. Rigondeaux broke Dickens’ jaw and the young lad from Liverpool was withdrawn after the 2nd round and the fight was stopped.

Now for some it as a massive mismatch. For me it was one fantastically gifted young man giving a gutsy guy a chance of some glory. Both fighters knew going into the ring what they were putting on the line. Ordinarily I might sneer at that justification for putting one guy into the ring at world level against someone who was far from being his equal but this was a contest that lit up the valleys and made us all hope and pray that Dickens might pull somethings special off; now and again we have to believe there is something magical behind the curtain.
Unfortunately for Dickens it ended with him losing early but the most remarkable thing may be that Rigondeaux managed something new for him – he became personable. He made the right noises, was highly respectful of his opponent and complimentary of his Welsh hosts. They took to him and loved him right back. We all knew that if Dickens won this it would be a massive shock so we were not ready to feign surprise when Rigondeaux won it – and we didn’t.

There were a number of factors here that made it a key milestone for Rigondeaux. He has proven he is one of the best, gave us an explosive fight, delivered a great story and gave himself a soap box upon which he called out all the cowards currently avoiding him – the next chapter is waiting to be written, I wonder who has the pen in their hands…

This weekend sees another massive story in the annals of boxing in the UK as Belfast’s’ finest, Mr Carl Frampton 22-0, 14 KO’s, takes on Leo Santa Cruz 32-0-1, 18 KO’s, by going up a weight to featherweight for the WBA crown. Whilst settling into the final week of preparations in New York, we have been hearing that Frampton is feeling good at his new weight, hitting harder and likely to take the crown.

Of all the possible fights for Frampton this was the one I fancied the most. For me it provides a stern test but also the opportunity to put down a marker in the American market that should embrace this charming young Irishman. His mentor, Barry McGuigan, has been over the course many times before and knows his way around it all. His coach, Barry’s son, Shane, may be a little greener and fresher but he has already shown himself to be very astute in sorting out game plans for his fighters. This is a guy who may not have a sparkling pedigree like his father but is managing to show people he has the skills to operate gyms at the very top level.

Both fighters are undefeated which adds enough spice to this contest it almost feels like a smoking hot chilli. Both fighters have tremendous pedigrees and whilst neither have ducked fights there are plenty who think either Santa Cruz is reckless or McGuigan is being overly confident.

I think neither is the case. For Frampton this is indeed a massive night. He needs to win and I do think he has the ability to manage it. He goes in as the underdog, like Dickens did before him, though he has achieved enough in the ring to suggest that even as an underdog he has a very dangerous bite.

They do say that styles make fights and I reckon both Frampton and Cruz have the style to make this a classic. If Frampton is to be believed, then this is the weight he should be looking to reign supreme from within. To do that he needs a win in the USA as many in the US do not know who he is. Some can remember manager and promoter, McGuigan but that was more than a decade ago. Irish boxing is going through a big renaissance just now and igniting it towards the next level shall take a spark from here. I reckon they shall get it and we shall be talking about this fight for a long time to come. I think it was the best match for Frampton and he could take the belt back home with him to Belfast after it. Nobody should underestimate how big this is to Northern Ireland. This is massive. Boxing is a uniting activity in a sea of troubles that have been part and parcel of the Ulster way of life since long before Barry McGuigan burst on the scene. I think we are at the cusp of a new Irish superstar. Carl, the Jackal Frampton will step up, I am sure and write his own new chapter of his own version of a familiar tale.

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